


Have Yourself a Merry Little Earpmas

by not_a_bat



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Eggless-nog, F/F, Nicole is New to Town, Slightly Altered Timeline, Someone Kinda Steals a Tree, Wayhaught Feels, sarcastic wynonna
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:29:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21782956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/not_a_bat/pseuds/not_a_bat
Summary: When Nicole moved to Purgatory just before Christmas, she thought she would spend the holidays alone, unpacking boxes and mentally preparing herself for her new job.  What she didn't expect was Waverly Earp.With an invitation to the Homestead, a bottle of whiskey in her hand to appease Wynonna, and the beginnings of a crush, she figured at worst the night would pass in an awkward haze, at best resulting in a new friend or two.  Little did she know...
Relationships: Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught
Comments: 61
Kudos: 282





	1. Lose a Tree, Gain an Earp (or Two)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! Tis the season for Wayhaught fluff and Christmas cheer, so naturally, I figured I'd write some of that. This won't be an epic tale by any means, probably just a few chapters, but the exact number is undecided. 
> 
> Stay warm and happy reading!

Wind whipped through the trees, dusting up fresh powder. It had been terribly cold the day before, but despite the white blanket crunching slightly beneath her boots, and the sting of the wind, the temperatures had risen and Nicole was grateful. She had spent too much time in the city the past few years, forgetting how the winters could bite just a little deeper into your bones out here, but she was quickly remembering. There was a lot to remember about life outside the city, and for the most part she was catching up like old pals, but some things were going to take some getting used to. Like being alone for the holidays for the first time.

She had talked herself into moving a few weeks early, eager to settle in and learn the lay of the land before her professional obligations began in the new year. It felt like a good idea at the time. It didn’t feel so good anymore. No, right now it just felt silly. Not the alone part, but the sad reality of Christmas tree shopping for one. She wasn’t so much advertising that fact, but her appearance at the Ghost River Tree and Maple Farm without so much as an acquaintance spoke enough. She had already gotten at minimum two warry looks from families. But she was here, and it would feel even sadder to turn around and head home empty handed. 

Four and a half minutes into her less than thorough browsing, she picked a tree. There wasn’t anything special about it, but it was there and so was she, which appeared to be satisfactory enough. Nicole knelt down, placing her saw to the side to take a peek at the trunk. Nothing seemed out of place and the tree didn’t seem to be anything she couldn’t tackle alone so she figured she might as well get going.

Half a centimeter in a commotion came rumbling up the hill, settling just on the other side of the tree. She could see two pairs of boots, but mostly she heard the incessant swearing. 

“I’m not so sure… it seems like we could find ourselves something a tad more festive, don’t you think?” The voice belonged to a man, but the owner of the response was a woman. A fiery one by the sound of it.

“Uh, that would be a hard no. Did you not see Waves? I haven’t seen her that happy since she dumped that festering wound of a man child.” The second pair of boots moved to the side, now close enough for Nicole to make out the profile of the woman. “Besides, I’m cold as shit and they don’t have whiskey here, so it’s this tree.”

Long brown hair turned and suddenly Nicole was looking up into a surprised but unrelenting face. Chances are the woman didn’t see the tree was already spoken for. Easy enough fix. “Hey, sorry, I’ve actually already started in on this one. There were a few like it just over to the right though.” Nicole flashed her dimples hoping to soften the blow. The brunette didn’t exactly exude a calming energy.

Not only did the pair not leave, but the woman dropped down to her level, inspecting Nicole’s progress and letting her know her disapproval with a loud huff. “Yeah, nope. Nice try Red but you can’t exactly claim this one if you’ve not even made a damn dent in it.” She stood up, but Nicole stayed rooted in place. That certainly wasn’t the response she thought she would get.

“Uh…” 

“Look, my sister picked this tree out already, so can’t you just, you know, go get another one or something.” It came out as if it was completely reasonable.

Nicole looked around, not picking up on anyone else except the man now standing to the side looking about as uncomfortable as she felt. The woman noticed, rolling her eyes and gesturing vaguely behind her. “She right behind us bringing the saw, alright? “

Seeing this situation wasn’t about to resolve itself, Nicole finally stood from her spot, knees cracking, wincing slightly at the dull pain. Sure enough, a short figure was just appearing from behind the row of trees just ahead. At least this one didn’t look quite as put out.

“Wynonna, I got the biggest saw they had but I think it’s for children or something because…” The new arrival stopped short, catching sight of Nicole and instantly flashing a brilliant smile. 

“Because?” Woman number one asked, rather impatiently.

“Huh?” Woman number two turned to the first. “Oh, nothing, the saw is small is all. Hi, I’m Waverly, do you work here?”

A gloved hand jutted out for her to take. Nicole, having more than enough manners for herself and the rude original brunette happily accepted the proffered hand, trying her best not to linger, and failing. The shorter woman was stunning and Nicole could hardly form a sentence, let alone introduce herself.

“Nicole, Nicole Haught.” She smiled again, hoping to come off friendly, but not overly interested. Unfortunately, she just received a small smile and head tilt back before she remembered there had been a question. “Oh, and no, I don’t work here.”

“Oh sorry! I didn’t recognize you from around town and I figured you and my sister weren’t friends, so…”

Nicole turned back to the sister momentarily but she was gone, already directing her man friend to take over her previous attempt to saw the tree down. “Yeah, I think it is safe to say we aren’t friends.” Had it not been for her chuckle she would have worried it came off hostile, but luckily the other woman seemed to get the lightness of the comment and laughed along with her.

“Well, Nicole, I don’t mean to intrude or anything, but what exactly was going on here?”

“Ah, well, your sister?” Nicole gestured behind her at the profane mass of hair. The shorter woman nodded in agreement. “Your sister apparently is stealing my tree is all.”

The tiny woman snapped her head around catching the sister mid-act. “Wynonna, what the fuck!”

“Calm down babygirl! Big Red can go find another. Besides, Doc is already like half way through.”

Nicole waved her hand, trying to signal to the nicer of the sisters that she was fine with it, but the other woman still looked displeased. “I’m so sorry! My sister can be… a bit much, sometimes. Don’t get me wrong, she has a heart of gold, but, yeah, a bit much.”

“It’s okay, really. Besides, it looks like you’ve got a whole family holiday thing going for you, so better this than where it probably would have ended up anyways.” It came out with a laugh but the other woman didn’t miss the implication.

“Are you alone for Christmas?”

“Uh, yeah. Just moved here a few days ago.”

“Oh, well, you should come to ours for Christmas then!” Nicole had been told by the Sheriff when she moved here that there was plenty of small town charm, but not to expect it in hordes, but obviously, he had severely underestimated his town.

It was a super sweet offer, and Nicole felt it was actually genuine, but there was no way she could accept. “Oh, um, that is very kind, but I don’t want to put you out or anything.” The other woman looked almost disappointed, and Nicole’s heart shoved itself up in her throat like it was making a mad rush for shelter. “A lot of unpacking to do, you know. Plus, I wouldn’t want to impose on your family celebration.”

There was a sharp crack of the last of the trunk snapping free behind them. Nicole turned slightly to watch as the pair began dragging it off towards the road. When she turned back to face the other woman she found she was still being watched, sending chills up her spine. God, that stare could penetrate through to her bones quicker than this chill.

“Well, I understand if you are busy, but by all means, you are very welcome. It’s more or less a found family deal anyways, so the more the merrier as they say!” Nicole could feel her resolve breaking. “But… if you still don’t feel comfortable, come for Christmas Eve instead. We have a small group of friends coming by so it is super casual.”

The sister reappeared, slightly out of breath, and less than slightly impatient, jamming her gloved finger at a watch-less wrist, indicating it was time to cut their conversation off. “Are you sure your sister wouldn’t mind? She doesn’t exactly seem to like me very much.”

“Oh, don’t worry about her.” She said as she held up a finger to indicate she needed just another moment. The huff of frustration from behind her didn’t help Nicole take that to heart. She really did want to say yes, something that she could tell was evident by the look she got back.

“Wynonna!” The brunette shouted, aiming for her sister’s attention, “you don’t care if Nicole joins us for Christmas Eve, right?”

“Yeah, sure whatever. Just tell her to bring whiskey!” 

“See, not a problem.” 

Nicole held her hands up in defeat, bright grin plastering her rosy cheeks. “Well, I suppose you can take this as me RSVP’ing then.”

A sharp squeal caught her almost as off guard as the near tackle of a hug the tiny woman threw her way. She couldn’t help but laugh. It was honestly adorable, and she wasn’t about to look that gift horse in the mouth.

“I’m so glad you said yes! This is going to be so much fun, I promise!” She dropped her bag in the snow and knelt to dig from what Nicole could only assume was paper. Coming up with only a pen, the other woman rose shrugging before reaching across to grab Nicole’s wrist, and without a moment left for Nicole to protest, yanking her coat sleeve up to write directly on her skin. 

She froze, watching the woman hold her arm in place, not really knowing what to do with herself. After a quick scribble, her arm was released, coat sleeve falling back into place. The other woman hastily shoved the pen back in her back and trotted off to go find her sister with a look back at the still dumbfounded Nicole.

When she was no longer within sight, Nicole shook her head at herself and the huge grin slowly making its way onto her features. She pushed her sleeve back up to find a phone number, address, and name, Waverly. Just under though was a small message: Can’t wait! Text me later?


	2. Expectations be Damned

Nicole sat on her bedroom floor, leaning against her half-built bedframe, staring down at the phone in her hand. It had been a day and a half since her run in with the sisters, and their still unnamed male friend. Waverly had left her number messily scrawled in smudged ink on her arm with instructions to text, and yet, she still hadn’t. What exactly do you say to a near stranger who invited you over for Christmas Eve? She knew what she wanted to say. Well, okay, so not quite, but she knew what kinds of things she wanted to say.

So of course, she didn’t.

Waverly was sweet, clearly kind, and oh so painfully beautiful. And Nicole was just as painfully gay. There was no denying the way her palms started to sweat just enough to be uncomfortable when she thought back to the tree farm and the way snow had clung to those gorgeous lashes blinking back at her. How in the hell was she supposed to spend an entire evening with her and without making a total ass of herself?

It was a kind offer, one she knew she was right to accept, but still, she was nervous. Her boxes were still piled up in the corners of nearly every room, her uniforms still needed to be hemmed, and she had really wanted to get a feel for the town before she started in two weeks. She had priorities, things that she could reasonably argue begged for her attention. Excuses. Valid, but still excuses. Maybe it wasn’t too late to pull out.

Her phone sat heavy in her hand, just like her decision to cancel sat heavy on her conscience. She quickly typed out an apology, leveraging her tasks as reasoning. Her thumb hovered over the send icon. Instead of tapping that, she found the backspace and cleared the message. As sure as she was that Waverly would be understanding, she couldn’t do it. This was a new town, a small town, and she didn’t want her first impression to be anything less than great. It was heard enough to gain the respect of a rural town as a woman, let alone a woman early in her male dominated profession, and especially when you toss in the whole lady lovin’ thing. Plus, she really did want to see the other woman again.

“Fuck it,” she muttered to herself before tapping out a new message and tossing her phone onto the air mattress next to her.

Rising from the floor, intent on getting more work done on her furniture so she didn’t have to live out of suitcases anymore, Nicole gave her phone one last look before pushing it from her mind.

Three hours later found her sweaty, tired, but relieved. With a proper bed, dresser, and most of her clothes put away, she let herself be “done” for the night, knowing she would probably find herself doing a little more later anyways. She stripped off her ratty t-shirt, wiping at the sweat on her forehead as she approached the air mattress. The sheets found a home with her shirt in an empty hamper, leaving her phone as the sole occupant of the bed. 

Absentmindedly, Nicole picked it up and got halfway to her pocket before she noticed the two notifications. Both were from Waverly.

Not wanting to get her freshly made new bed or just stripped air mattress dirty, she sat on the floor and unlocked the phone, shaky fingers finding the text app and tapping quickly on her and Waverly’s message thread.

At the top was her original text, “Hi Waverly, it’s Nicole from the tree farm.” Definitely not what she really wanted to text, but she didn’t want to make any assumptions. Waverly hadn’t exactly been flirty by any means, but Nicole just got this feeling from her that maybe she wasn’t the only one who noticed the other. So, she kept it as neutral as possible and swallowed the texts she wanted to send.

And then there were Waverly’s responses. She read them in succession, but her eyes kept going back to the first.

Waverly: Hi Nicole! So glad you texted! I was starting to worry Wynonna scared you off. Or worse, that I did, lol. Hope you can still make it. I’m really looking forward to seeing you again.

Waverly: Everyone will probably get here around 3 if that works for you, though any time is fine.

Yeah, that first message really caught her attention. “I’m really looking forward to seeing you again.”

She slid down, sighing out at herself and the way she couldn’t help the wild grin she knew she was sporting. Her head dropped down to the hardwood beneath her as she let her eyes close for a moment, relishing the fluttering feeling in her gut.

Acting of their own accord, her hands came back into view, phone hovering above her head. She worried her bottom lip between her teeth as she replied. 

I can’t wait either. Is it silly to admit that I’m a bit nervous though? Your sister hasn’t scared me off yet, but I wouldn’t count that out.

It took only a couple seconds before a reply chimed in.

Waverly: Haha, yeah, that isn’t completely unfounded. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe.

“Fuuuuck,” she whispered out to herself. There was no way that wasn’t flirting.

Promise?

Waverly: Promise.

She groaned out. This woman was going to kill her. If she was smart she’d reel it back in a bit, focus on the logistics of tomorrow’s event, but she couldn’t help but indulge just a little bit.

Well in that case, I’ll see you tomorrow. But if I do end up requiring your services, I promise I’ll make it up to you somehow.

Waverly: I’ll keep that in mind. See you tomorrow Nicole.

She slid her phone across the floor, one hand extending out in the same direction as the other flopped down across her eyes. A small laugh slipped out as she let the conversation settle into her mind fully. 

She had a chance.

The snow had picked up considerably on her drive to Waverly’s place. The smaller woman had said arrivals would be around 3, and Nicole had intended to get there just after, but with the lack of traction on the roads and her less than thorough knowledge of the area, by the time she parked just to side of the other cars, her watch read 3:45. Hoping the given time really was a ballpark and she wasn’t late, Nicole took a solid minute to collect her thoughts and then her belongings before she began the trudge through the snow to the front door.

She could already hear some sort of commotion inside, someone yelling loudly, laughter, a voice that she was certain belonged to Wynonna calling for someone that sounded suspiciously like ‘Sexy Lizard Man’. Either she was already very drunk or Wynonna was just as unusual as she seemed to be at the tree farm.

Nicole nervously glanced back at parked cars, wondering who all they belonged to and if she would stand out uncomfortably in what was sure to be a familiar crowd. Her boots scuffed at the old wood beneath as she tried to work up the courage to knock on the door and get any awkwardness out of the way. With one more lingering look out into the heavy snowfall, she repositioned the bottle of whiskey into her already full second hand to free the first to knock.

It took all of four seconds before the door whipped open to reveal a tall blonde, smiling widely, albeit obviously confused at the unexpected visitor. She definitely didn’t look like the two sisters, and Waverly hadn’t mentioned a third, so the woman before was likely a family friend, or roommate. Either way, Nicole wanted her first impression to be good so she smiled back just as fondly and stuck out her free hand.

“Hi, I’m Nicole. Waverly invited me.”

The blonde shook her hand quickly before reaching out to take the precariously balanced items from her arms and ushering her in out of the cold. “Nicole, you said?” She nodded her response and thanked the woman for helping her with her stuff. “I’m Chrissy, Waverly’s friend since, well, basically forever.” 

Chrissy led her through to where the rest of the group was, unceremoniously handing the bottle of whiskey to Wynonna without word. Nicole couldn’t help but note how obvious it seemed to be to the other woman that the booze was a gift for Waverly’s sister. She also didn’t miss the subtle tilt of Wynonna’s head in her direction as a silent acknowledgement and thanks. 

“Nicole!” The voice came from just behind her and she turned to find Waverly walking briskly from the kitchen, wearing her signature bright smile and adorable apron. “I’m so glad you could come!” She wiped her hands off on the apron and pulled her into a brief but warm hug. Nicole tried her best to act unaffected by the sudden closeness but she knew her rosy cheeks gave her away. Hopefully Waverly would assume it was the work of the winter winds.

“Thanks so much for having me.” She said as they let go of each other. Chrissy reappeared with the flowers she had taken off of Nicole, handing them over to Waverly before returning to the others. “Speaking of, hopefully these aren’t out of place. I didn’t want to show up with a bottle of whiskey for your sister and have nothing for you. I wasn’t sure what you liked though, so I kinda had to go a bit traditional. Not sure if that’s really your thing…”

“These are beautiful Nicole.” She brought the bouquet up to her nose and Nicole couldn’t help the way she internally melted at the way Waverly’s eyes crinkled just a hair as she smiled into the flowers. “I may be a modern woman, but I won’t say no to a hint of tradition. Here, let’s get these in some water and you out of your coat.”

She followed the brunette into the kitchen and dutifully helped her get the flowers arranged in a vase before shirking off her coat into Waverly’s waiting hand. After their little side trip, they returned to the living room where introductions were made, and she was sat down in a chair with promises to return with a drink of her own.

Besides Wynonna, none of the other guests appeared to be family. She had already met Chrissy, Waverly’s childhood friend, and the mustachioed man from the farm (who’s name confusingly appeared to be John, Henry, and ‘Doc’ depending on who was speaking to him), but the others seemed to also be all friends. Waverly had first introduced a tall and muscular man everyone called Dolls, before turning to the younger looking pair, Jeremy and Robin.

She wasn’t one to consider herself a stereotype, but she certainly hadn’t expected to find a gay couple on her first evening out, and the relief was both overwhelming and unexpected. Purgatory was not the city and she had feared it would difficult to find her own kind out here, let alone two (and possibly three) so quickly. At least she knew there would be no problems with her own sexuality within this group.

The conversation flowed easily into the afternoon, but with Waverly’s hour before dinner announcement, she could sense Wynonna becoming restless. Sure enough, not five minutes later, the older of the sisters rose from her spot and wandered off to the kitchen, quickly returning with a collection of shot glasses and a challenging glance her way.

“Alright, alright, enough chitchatting. What do you say Red, up for a challenge?”

Waverly rolled her eyes and made to snatch the bottle away, but the other woman was too quick. “Wynonna! It’s almost time to eat, can’t you at least wait until after? I don’t want anyone passing out in the potatoes.”

“Don’t worry babygirl, I’ll make sure Redhot here is returned in one piece. Right?” The last comment was directed her way. She didn’t want to disappoint Waverly, but she also didn’t want to piss off her sister and her attempt at, was it bonding?

“Uhhh….” She shot a nervous glance at the younger woman, silently pleading for the right answer.

“Oh, fine, but you better not get anyone drunk. Yet.”

Wynonna rushed her sister, smacking a less than graceful kiss on her check while holding up the bottle in victory. “Alright Haught, let’s see what you got!”


	3. Fess Up or Drink Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to everyone stopping by this little Christmas shitstory. All the comment and kuddos are much appreciated, but I also take any form of currency, first born children, and chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.
> 
> All aboard the angst train, get ready to cry, hate me, maybe throw a little curse or two my way... oh wait, wrong story. Scratch that. Grab your finest or shittiest booze and play along because the fun is about to begin.

“Alright degenerates, this is how it is going to go…” Nicole listened warily to Wynonna as she scooted her chair in, joining the rest of the group around the kitchen table. “Last to drink gets to ask someone of their choosing a question. Any question. Refuse to answer and you drink. Answer honestly and you get to ask a question back, and then another to the person you choose.”

Given she was the stranger in the mix, she had a bad feeling she was going to get a heavier load than most. She didn’t want to bail out, but she also needed to be able to drive home in a couple hours.

“Okay, so I’ll go first,” Wynonna’s announcement was followed up by a collective groan and a roll of Doc’s eyes. “What? It was my idea.”

“Very well, just ask the damn question.” He responded, though the look he and Dolls shared said more.

A moment of silence passed as she surveyed her options, landing finally on her sister. “Waverly…” She trailed off, waiting for the woman in question’s undivided attention. “That boy-man of yours,”

“EX thank you very much,” Waverly interjected.

“Yes, thank god for that. Anyways, the boy-man, how big was he exactly?” Nicole’s eyes widened, completely caught off guard at how intimate the question was, the first question at that. It wasn’t exactly an appropriate question under any circumstances, let alone these.

Waverly, however, didn’t appear fazed at all, smirking at her sister as she thought through her response. “About six feet tall or so, maybe a smidge less.”

“That’s not what I meant, nice try.” Wynonna pushed a shot her way expectantly.

“You didn’t specify, not my problem. So, I guess you could say… nice try.” Waverly pushed the shot back at her sister. “You might need this though, seeing as I now have a question for you.”

Nicole leaned in, shamelessly enjoying the way the younger to the two confidently turned the tables. Her interest didn’t go unnoticed based on the subtle wink she earned from the woman.

“Let’s see.” Waverly leaned in closer to her sister, devilish smirk firmly etched into her features. “Who is Aphrodite?”

“Oh fuck, really?” Wynonna didn’t bother stating her preference not to answer and let her drinking do the talking. “Brutal.”

The smaller brunette pressed a quick kiss to her sister’s cheek before turning her attention to the crowd. “Hmm…”

Nicole wiped her palms on her jeans nervously. Sure enough, Waverly’s eyes locked with hers.

“Maybe we should get to know our guest a bit.” A gentle hand found her knee under the table. She figured it was meant to be reassuring, but it only worked to raise her blood pressure even more. 

“You mentioned you moved here for a new job.” It wasn’t a question but she nodded her head anyways. “What do you do?”

She breathed out a sigh of relief, glad Waverly had gone easy on her. “Oh, um, I’m going to be the new Sheriff’s Deputy.”

Chrissy looked up from the phone she had been staring at under the table. “I thought your name sounded familiar! My dad is the Sheriff and he mentioned he had recruited someone from out of town to ‘finally get this damn mess in order’.” The last bit came out in a gruff voice, obviously meant to impersonate her father.

“Wait a second, you’re a fucking narc?” Wynonna asked, leaning back in her chair far too much for anyone’s comfort. Nicole could swear she heard the wood crack just a bit.

“Uh, yeah, I suppose I am, though I wouldn’t really put it in those terms.”

“Wynonna, you’re law enforcement too, remember?” Waverly chimed in.

The chair slammed back into place. “Oh, right.”

Dolls leaned around Jeremy to catch Nicole’s eye. “Looks like we will be seeing more of each other then. I run a cross border task force out of the same building as the Sheriff’s department. Wynonna’s a deputy so you’ll see her around too.”

“And I consult with research and Jeremy does most of our lab stuff too.” Waverly piped in, smiling brightly as always.

“Wow, looks like I picked the right group to run into then.”

The hand returned to her leg and followed up with a gentle squeeze. “Lucky us.”

The game went on and secrets were revealed, both insignificant and alarming. Nicole learned Wynonna had one hell of a record, though not everything came to light, ‘leaving some of the mystery’ as the brunette had stated. Jeremy admitted to having had a massive crush on Doc, or Henry, or whatever his name was. That one surprised no one but Chrissy. Waverly conceded that, yes, she had secretly made out with her pillow during a sleepover when she was younger because some bitch named Stephanie had convinced her it was the only way to practice for a future boyfriend. She also found out Robin and Chrissy had been together for a short time in high school, though he did ultimately tell Chrissy he thought he was gay the night she asked to have sex with him and he threw up all over the place. 

Nicole managed to come away mostly unscathed, the majority of the questions thrown her way being typical get to know you things. So far, the only real confession she had given was that she had smoked as a teen, with an occasional flirtation with pot, but nothing that began to touch on Wynonna’s substance history, to the older Earp’s disappointment. There had only been one question she refused to answer, asked to no one’s surprise, by Wynonna. But it was the spit fire’s turn again and she was eyeing Nicole with a self-satisfied smug grin.

“Okay Haught.”

She groaned, letting her head drop to the table, knowing it wasn’t going to be an easy one this time.

“If you had to pick one of us to bang, who’s boots would you be knocking tonight?”

She could feel her heartbeat pick up, palms start to sweat, anxiety kick in. There was no way she could answer this question truthfully in front of a group of near strangers. What would Waverly say? Would she be upset, offended, flattered but uninterested? This wasn’t the place to find out. Hard pass. Without a word, she held her hand out indicating she wanted a shot.

“Oh, come on Red, just admit you want this fine piece of ass.” Wynonna said, drunkenly wiggling her eyebrows at her.

“Yeah, that’s a no. Don’t get me wrong, your ass is like, top shelf man, but I’m not interested.” Wynonna feigned offense and refused her the shot of whiskey. “Cough it up Wynonna, I’m not answering that one.”

“Boo, you’re no fun.” She poured the shot, but instead of passing it over, knocked it down herself and followed it up with one more.

Doc’s phone ringing loudly cut through their conversation and he rose to go answer in the other room.

“I don’t have to answer just because you won’t give me the damn whiskey.” Nicole huffed out, not annoyed, but not, not annoyed.

The pair stared each other down, neither willing to cave. Slight tension filled the space causing Jeremy to start visibly sweating.

Doc returned from the living room and cleared his throat. “Sorry to cut this short but Rosita requires assistance bringing some items inside.”

Jeremy hopped up, clearly looking for any excuse to get away from the awkwardness. Robin quickly followed, with Chrissy right behind him. Dolls for his part was staring off completely disinterested in anything that was happening, leaving the two sisters and Nicole.

“Dinner should be ready in a few, so let’s just call it good, okay?” It wasn’t much of a question, which thankfully Wynonna recognized, silently agreeing with a nod at her sister’s declaration. Waverly’s brilliant smile returned easily as she too rose from her spot to go check the oven. 

“No offense taken, Haught.” She winked at her as she grabbed her coat off the hook to join the others outside. Dolls finally came to and followed the oldest Earp, resulting in just Waverly and Nicole occupying the kitchen.

Nicole simultaneously felt better and worse. On one hand, she was glad the inquisition had been called off, but on the other, she was now alone with Waverly for the first time since the tree farm, and god was she nervous.

“Can I offer you a hand with anything?” Maybe if she kept herself busy she could hold off on making an ass out of herself around the smaller woman.

“Oh, sure! Thanks. I don’t really get much help in the kitchen, so I’ll take what I can get!” Nicole joined her by the sink, awaiting her instructions. Waverly took another minute to finish with her task before handing a clean rag to Nicole. There was no reason for her fingers to linger, and yet they did, brushing lightly against her own, taking a moment to caress the ring on her middle finger.

She let herself feel the connection for just a second, relishing the way Waverly’s skin felt almost magnetic against hers, drawing them in without her permission. Nicole brought her own thumb up to the finger playing with her ring, tenderly running it up the slender digit. Her eyes sought out the other woman’s but they were locked onto their hands.

The front door slammed open and they jumped apart. Waverly shoved a serving platter her way, mumbling something about giving it a quick rinse and dry before hurrying out of the kitchen to see to the others. Nicole didn’t take it as a brush off, but couldn’t help the way she felt a little deflated. The last thing she wanted was to be walked in on when something significant was evolving between them, she just wished the moment hadn’t ended so abruptly.

She finished her task and set the rag on the counter just as Wynonna entered the kitchen with a new face. “Nicole, this is Rosita, Doc’s girlfriend, and this is Nicole Haught, new narc for Nedley.” She waved between them as quickly as she spoke before promptly leaving them to their own devices.

“Uh, hi, Nicole.” She extended a hand hoping to clear out the awkwardness Wynonna brought in.

“New deputy I take it?” She shook her head in agreement as they laughed at the other woman’s antics. “Cool, well, welcome to Purgatory. Hope you like snow and drunks.”

“Is that what I’ve got myself into?”

“Oh god, if only it was just that.”


	4. Earpmas Eve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, I hope to have another chapter up by Christmas at some point. Key word HOPE, so please don't sue me if that doesn't happen. I'm broke and unless you want some used Physics textbooks or frozen English muffins that i forgot were in my freezer until my wife mentioned them the other day, I have nothing to offer.
> 
> I hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday (whichever one or ones you celebrate) and for anyone dealing with stressful families, just know, its never too late to make a hex doll.

With the latest, and last arrival of the night, everyone clustered in the kitchen for dinner. It was a bit cramped with everyone in one room, but Nicole couldn’t help the way she felt grateful to be surrounded by all these people. If she hadn’t run into the sisters, and Doc, she would be spending a less that festive night alone, unpacking and looking longingly at pictures of cats on the local shelter’s website.

Instead, she got to spend Christmas Eve with a ragtag group she was honestly enjoying, one of which in particular. With all seated around the table, conversations ebbed and flowed, and Nicole let herself just relax and enjoy listening. She could tell that there was a connection between them all that went unspoken. Chrissy was the only other one that seemed to not blend in completely, but she seemed satisfied being just on the edge of whatever group dynamic hovered beneath the surface. 

From time to time, Waverly glanced her way, smiling subtly, not for anyone’s eyes but hers. At least that is the way it felt, but she was probably getting herself into trouble thinking like that. Sure, there had been a small hint of flirtation, but some people were just naturally more flirtatious. It didn’t mean there was any sort of true attraction underlying the comments and looks.

Really, it would be silly to think there was. Nicole was a practical stranger and she had yet to even officially come out to anyone in the group. Sure, Robin and Jeremy were a couple and their relationship seemed to be respected and appreciated, but that didn’t mean that Waverly just assumed or sussed out that Nicole was gay too. And that definitely didn’t mean that Waverly both somehow figured that out and caught on to Nicole’s attraction. Even in the off chance that she had, what were her odds that Waverly also felt that same attraction. No, it was silly to let herself think that way. Unless….?

With the meal finished, Chrissy and Dolls cleared and Wynonna banged around the kitchen for more booze. Nicole offered to help, but Waverly insisted that being a first-time guest meant she was in no manner to do anything other than enjoy her time. “First time” of course implied a second, something Nicole didn’t miss. She had really been hoping that might be the case but it still felt good to hear a little nod towards that.

So, barred from the kitchen cleanup crew, she joined Rosita, Doc, and Waverly as they set up a movie in the other room. Robin and Jeremy had been too busy making eyes at each other to offer assistance in either activity. Nicole suspected they were moments away from making excuses and leaving to go spend time alone together. She wondered how long they had been together given how infatuated they seemed. It was honestly way too cute. At least until Jeremy lost his patience and nearly mounted his boyfriend in the hallway, prompting Wynonna to taunt them from the next room over.

Sure enough, they took that as enough of a cue and announced they would be leaving. Goodbyes and hugs were exchanged, including one each for Nicole. She had instantly liked the both of them so she was glad to feel included in their Christmas well wishes, but pleasantly taken aback when Jeremy pulled her aside as Robin was carrying leftovers out to the car to exchange numbers with a promise to get together for coffee in the coming days.

Dolls and Chrissy returned to the kitchen to finish putting the leftovers away as Wynonna plopped down in a chair, already taking long pulls from a fresh bottle of whiskey. Slowly, the room filled up with bodies and blankets as everyone came to settle in for the movie. Nicole found herself sharing a space on the floor, once again next to Waverly. The smaller woman didn’t hesitate to cover both their bodies in a large throw blanket, scooting in close to keep covered. 

It was a tad too warm to share both the blanket and this much body heat, but she couldn’t refuse an excuse to be this close to Waverly. Twenty minutes into the movie, Wynonna had already fallen asleep and Doc and Rosita were looking antsy. She was still surprised they were together, having assumed he was in some form of a relationship with Wynonna. But based on Dolls’ drifting eyes, she was starting to make the connection. 

Meanwhile, Waverly had her eyes absolutely glued to the screen. Nicole tried her best to focus, but her own kept darting over to sneak peeks at the smallest brunette. The only one not part of some sort of pairing (intentional or not) was the blonde, who was again imbedded in her phone. Whatever she was looking at was keeping her perfectly happy though, based off the shit eating grin she had plastered to her face.

Another fifteen minutes later, Chrissy rose from her chair and gave a silent wave, indicating she was heading out. Waverly pulled one hand out of the blanket to quickly grasp her friend’s hand in a goodbye. Within thirty seconds, headlights flashed in through the windows, but since no one batted an eye, Nicole assumed it was Chrissy’s ride. Waverly glanced her way, spotting her slight confusion and quietly whispered ‘boyfriend’ in explanation.

With the crowd dimming down, Nicole started to wonder if she should be leaving soon herself, though she wasn’t quite ready to end the night. No one had given any indication she should go and with the movie still playing she figured she should make the most of the time she was offered and stay through the end of the movie.

Waverly seemed less enthralled with it now, attention redirected to her sister’s sleeping form and the precariously dangling bottle hanging from her fingers. With a less than gentle snore, Wynonna’s grip slipped just enough to make Nicole nervous. Waverly was obviously of the same mindset, extracting her upper body from her little shared nest to pull the bottle away, setting it safely on the coffee table.

When the smaller woman leaned back over, it was with significantly less distance between the pair. Nicole waited for the readjustment but it didn’t come. Instead, and much to her satisfaction, Waverly flashed a quick smile at her before resting her head on Nicole’s shoulder. 

“This okay?” The whisper was almost faint enough for her to miss. Almost.

“Yeah.” She could hardly calm herself enough to answer without a tremor in her voice. 

Wynonna snored loudly again and both laughed. It was getting to be too much to ignore.

“Hey, so what’s the deal with Henry and your sister? I thought they were an item when we all met, but he is with Rosita?” Looks like her curiosity finally got the best of her.

“Oh boy.” Waverly sighed, lifting her head and turning slightly so their eyes could meet. It was hard enough to hear whispers with the movie playing. At least this way they could read lips to help. And, you know, it wasn’t an unwelcome change as it gave her a valid excuse to let her line of sight drift down to the brunette’s lips regularly.

“Did I just open a can of worms?”

“No, you’re fine.” Waverly waved the comment off. “They were together, sort of, not like officially. But that ended a bit ago and now obviously, he is with Rosita, and Wynonna has this whole pining thing going on with him, but also sorta with Dolls, who has a thing for her.”

“So, complicated?”

“You might say that.”

“And what about you?” Oh god, did she really want to know? Why was she asking?

“Well, I had a long-term boyfriend, but I broke it off. He was a bit of a shit-ticket.”

“Fucking ass clown.” Wynonna mumbled, quickly followed by another deep snore.

They both broke into a fit of giggles, mostly muffled behind their hands. “I take it your sister wasn’t a fan.”

“I don’t think anyone was really.” Waverly leaned back again, laughter finally settling down. “But now I’m a happily single Virgo with hair for days.” She said as she flipped her hair for emphasis, leaving Nicole slightly breathless, that is until she caught up to the ‘happily single’ part. Well fuck.

“So, what about you, any boyfriend?” Nicole’s pulse shot through the roof, suddenly in a position to either have to lie by omission or bring up her sexuality. She was sure Waverly would be accepting, but it was always a little nerve-wracking. “Or girlfriend?” Instantly she relaxed a bit. It was usually a good sign when someone phrased it with both options. At least that way there weren’t any awkward surprises.

“No girlfriend.”

Waverly nodded, accepting her answer and turning back to the movie. Nicole wasn’t really sure what to make of the conversation. There had been a door wide open for Waverly to make any interest known if that’s what she felt, then again, a small collection of other people were in the room with them. Whispering a confession of attraction to someone you barely knew while surrounded by other people, and one family member, wasn’t the ideal.

Wynonna growled in her sleep and rearranged her limbs in a haphazard manner and Nicole started to wonder how anyone had ever shared a bed with such a human tornado. The disruption appeared to be enough to prompt the last remaining couple to get up and call it a night. Doc announced he was walking Rosita to her car and then going to bed, causing even more confusion for the redhead. Did he live here?

Within a couple minutes, they both returned, shaking snow off on the mat in front of the door. Rosita went into the kitchen as Doc entered the living room again, awkwardly standing off to the side expectantly. Dolls took the hint and grabbed the remote off the table, pausing the movie.

“Looks like the storm has been brewing while we were all sequestered inside. I’m afraid there is no chance of anyone making it home tonight.”

Rosita reappeared holding a small dish of leftovers, happily snacking away as Doc explained their predicament trying to get her car out of the driveway. A layer of ice had been forming atop of the snow and it had gotten too hazardous to drive and ‘an almighty bitch’ to try to scrape off windshields.

Nicole groaned out to herself, wishing she had left earlier in the night. If only she hadn’t been so greedy, wanting to spend every last second with her crush, she would have made it home before the weather turned.

“Well, we’ll be off to the barn for the night.” Doc announced as he tipped his hat and left with Rosita.

“Sorry about that, I’m sure you’d rather you were at home tonight.” Waverly stood off the floor, holding a hand out for Nicole to take.

“It isn’t your fault. If anything, I should be saying sorry for putting you out like this.” 

Dolls got up as well, silently hefting the lump of a woman off the other chair and carrying her into another room.

“Not at all!” Waverly busied herself putting things away and making a bed up on the couch. Nicole guessed this would be her place for the night. “Just give me a second to finish setting this up and then I’ll show you to my room.”

Hard stop. What? Was Waverly going to sleep on the couch and give Nicole her bed, or were they both sleeping up there? But then who was sleeping on the couch? Before she could ask, Dolls returned sans Wynonna and thanked Waverly for setting up a spot for him. The younger Earp brushed the thanks off and reached up on her tip toes to place a gentle kiss on his cheek before gesturing for Nicole to follow her out of the room.

It was really beginning to look like they would be sharing a bed for the night and she didn’t know if she should be excited or nervous or both. It certainly didn’t escape her that Waverly had taken her by the hand while leading her up the stairs and still hadn’t let go. 

There was only one bedroom upstairs, which she followed the other woman into. The light was flipped on and Nicole instantly felt at home. It wasn’t that the rest of the house wasn’t nice, it just didn’t quite exude the same energy as this room. 

Waverly busied herself digging through a dresser as Nicole let herself wander a bit, taking in the little bits on display. With a tap to the shoulder she turned to find bright eyes staring back at her, arms extended with a small collection of clothing.

“I figured you might want something comfortable to change into. I don’t have any pajama pants long enough for you, but these shorts should be fine. There is also an old shirt of Wynonna’s that I sleep in that you can wear if you want.” 

Nicole held the shirt out. There were a couple of small holes and faded print that she could barely make out to be a Nine Inch Nails logo from some tour they did years ago. It was super soft at least, having been worn down over the years. 

“Thanks. Is there somewhere I could change?”

“Yeah, there is a bathroom across the hall, but you can change here if you want, I just need to grab some stuff and then I’ll be out of your hair.”

“Wait. You aren’t sleeping here?” She definitely hadn’t seen another bedroom anywhere and unless Waverly could conjure one up, that only left the chair in the living room.

Waverly’s eyebrow arched up. “No, I hadn’t planned on it. Unless, you didn’t want to sleep alone for some reason?”

Everything in Waverly’s face screamed at her that she was flirting, and possibly propositioning her. 

“Uh…” She looked away for a second, not knowing how she should respond. “I mean, do you have somewhere to sleep, because I could just sleep on the floor with a blanket or something.”

“I was just going to share with Wynonna.”

“Oh.” Awkward. Way to go Nicole.

There was a heavy silence that followed. She wished she could go back to two minutes ago before she got all weird.

“Well, I’ll be just downstairs if you need anything. See you in the morning?”

“Yeah. See you in the morning.”

Waverly smiled softly at her, easing her discomfort, before she quickly grabbed a few things and made for the door.

As the other woman was passing, Nicole reached out, brushing her fingers on the other’s forearm. “Hey. Thanks, really. For inviting me over and letting me stay.”

Waverly dropped her stuff on the bed and brought her hand down so their fingers could intertwine. “Thanks for coming Nicole. I’m really glad you did.”

“Me too.”

Waverly closed the small distance between them and placed her lips against her cheek in a faint kiss, not too different from the one she gave Dolls downstairs, except this time she lingered, just briefly, but still. She lingered.

Nicole rushed to process, but before her mind caught up, Waverly and her armful of belongings were gone, behind the now closed bedroom door.


	5. Earpmas

Nicole woke to a soft knock on the door, confusing the ever living shit out of her. It took a while for her to remember that she wasn’t at home but was in fact in someone else’s house. Regretfully, she opened her eyes, giving herself a final moment to adjust to the early morning light streaming through the window. Another gentle knock came and she realized she had yet to say anything.

“Come in.” Realizing who was likely on the other side, she quickly smoothed down her hair and checked for dried drool.

“Hey there. I brought coffee.” Waverly whispered, opening the door wide enough only to accommodate her slim figure. The other woman slipped inside, shutting the door behind her and approached with two steaming mugs.

“Mmm, thanks.” Her voice was still scratchy from sleep. “That smells amazing.”

“I might have added a little dash of holiday spices on top. What with it being Christmas and all.” Waverly looked like she could easily fall back asleep and second, and yet, she was absolutely radiant.

Nicole accepted one of the mugs and sipped tentatively, cautious of the temperature. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”

Waverly beamed back at her before sipping at her own mug. They sat in bed, silently drinking coffee together, something Nicole noticed came easy to them. That quiet comfort. There was no overwhelming need to fill the quiet. Both were just content to enjoy the moment.

Eventually, Waverly set her mug down and glanced at Nicole. Seeing her attention was required, she too set her coffee aside and turned toward the brunette.

“Okay, so Wynonna is awake, but hating it. Dolls is making breakfast. So, you have two choices. One, we stay up here and hide from Wynonna’s foul mood, but there is no food. Or two, risk it and go eat.” 

She played thinking it over for a moment, causing Waverly to shake her head, smiling all the same. “Well, if we stayed up here, what would we do to occupy our time?”

Waverly tilted her head and gave her a knowing look. She really hadn’t meant for it to sound so suggestive. She opened her mouth to comment, but figured the other woman knew already and laughed it off.

“How about we worry about that later and go eat?” Waverly slipped off the bed and held a hand out towards her. Nicole took the hand, and the easy out and followed the brunette out of the room.

Breakfast had been amazing. Dolls, as it turned out, could really cook. Wynonna had been a pain, very unhappy to have been awoken this early in the morning but Waverly had insisted she’d survive. Given the look the older Earp sister shot at the younger, Nicole wondered if Waverly could say the same for herself. 

She managed to argue her way into helping clear the breakfast dishes, pointing out that while, yes it was still technically her first visit, surely being day two would allow her to chip in. Her eyes drifted up to the kitchen window as she washed another plate. Doc and Rosita were outside chopping wood. Well, Doc was chopping wood and Rosita was busy making a massive snowball behind his back. 

Just as the woman outside was preparing to launch it, Wynonna appeared next to her, silently watching along. The snowball, or maybe snow boulder based off its size, stuck the man moments after he placed the axe to side, bending over to clear some of the wood. Nicole smiled at their playfulness, but couldn’t help but laugh when Wynonna snorted into her coffee.

“Hurry up you two, we have gifts to open before Nedley comes by or Gus calls.” Waverly had snuck up behind them while they were distracted.

“Oh, uh, I should probably get changed and get out of your hair then.” Nicole placed the last of the dishes in the rack and dried her hands off on a towel.

“Nonsense. There is no reason for you to go home, unless you want to of course.” Wynonna had already bailed the moment her sister said gifts, leaving just the two of them in the kitchen.

“That’s very sweet of you Waverly, but I’ve already put you out too much.” Nicole took the brunette’s hands in hers for a quick squeeze before turning toward the stairs.

Surprisingly, Waverly followed. “Well, like I said, you are of course welcome to leave. I won’t keep you prisoner.” They made it up to the landing, allowing Nicole to turn and face her new friend. “But I’d really like it if you stayed. After all I did originally invite you to Christmas. I promise you aren’t in anyone’s hair.”

She thought it over, knowing that if she left it would just be a day alone unpacking. If she stayed though, more time with the Earps, who were really growing on her. More time with Waverly.

“Okay.”

Waverly squealed and launched herself up into Nicole’s arms, placing a kiss on her cheek. Before she had time to process, she was released and pulled back down the stairs to an impatiently waiting Wynonna.

She and Dolls had aligned themselves on the couch, chatting about policing while the sisters exchanged their gifts. It didn’t feel as intrusive as she thought it might with him around too. 

“Hey Haught-shit, catch!” Lucky for Nicole, Wynonna’s comment came in a lull in their conversation, allowing her enough time to turn and block the flying parcel from hitting her square in the face.

“Wynonna!” Waverly admonished her sister, while giving an apologetic smile to Nicole.

Having defended her face from attack, she stretched her arms out to get a better look. It was clear a child had wrapped it, so in this case Wynonna in all likelihood. A little card was just barely taped in place on top with her name on it.

When she looked up, the sisters were watching her, Wynonna with a disturbingly wide grin, and Waverly with a sparkle in her eye.

“So, we might have gotten up a little earlier than we let on and made something for you. We didn’t want you to have nothing to open this morning, and we both like you and hope you’ll keep coming around, and what with you being new and all, we…”

“Babygirl.” Wynonna interrupted the younger Earp. “Let the woman open it already.” Waverly muttered a sorry and turned back to Nicole. They exchanged blushes for a second before the redhead returned to her gift, looking for where the tape started. This was important since Wynonna (again, she was just assuming it was the older sister) had taken tape in one very long strand and just haphazardly wrapped it around the crumbled paper until it resembled a sad attempt at a three-dimensional abstract interpretation of a ball.

Seeing her struggle, Dolls unclipped a knife from his belt and handed it over, allowing her to quickly cut through the tape and paper. Now unobstructed, she took the first full glance at her very own Earp given gift. 

It was a glass whiskey bottle, void of whiskey and filled with little slips of folded paper. The bottle cap had been replaced with what looked like a wine bottle cork. The exterior was decorated to look like the bottle was a person, an old-timey sheriff to be exact, Stetson, star badge and all.

“Wynonna and I wrote something on each of the little pieces of paper so that anytime you are having a bad day on the job you can pull one out to read. Hopefully it reminds you that you have friends on your side here.”

She was shocked. It had been all of a handful of days since they had met, and all of somewhere around 18 hours since spending any real time together, and they had already made her feel welcome in their home and friend group, but also thought to include her in Christmas gifts with what was surely the funniest, bizarre, and heartwarming thing she had ever been given.

The rest of the morning flew by in a rush, everyone busy getting the homestead ready for Christmas dinner. Waverly hadn’t fought Nicole on her insistence she help this time, but it didn’t escape Nicole that she was given all the easy tasks.

By late afternoon a knock on the door came. Waverly went to answer, leaving Nicole with Wynonna prepping drinks in the kitchen.

“Hey, so look, you seem cool and all Haught, but my sister, she is one of damn kind. She deserves the best, especially after that living sewage drain Champ.”

“Champ?”

“The ex, catch up.” Wynonna waved her hand dismissively, obviously in a rush to get through whatever this talk was while they were still alone. “Now, I could be wrong here, but I doubt it. All I’m going to say is don’t lead her on or fuck her over and we are good. Got it?”

“What?” She twisted around, looking for a sign of Waverly. Maybe even a sign to explain this conversation. “Wynonna, I’m not sure I follow.”

“I see the way you look at her, Red.”

Oh, that. So much for being subtle.

“Its none of my business what the two of you do or don’t do, as long as she is happy. Okay?” Nicole went to answer but Wynonna didn’t wait around for the response before following up with a firm to her own question with another ‘okay’. 

As quickly as it started, it was over and Nicole was left with standing alone in front of the counter with a bottle of booze still angled over a cup, ready to pour.

The door had turned out to be Chrissy and her father Randy, aka Sheriff Nedley, aka Nicole’s new boss. They hadn’t met in person yet, having only corresponded over the phone and email. She was grateful that Nedley the older was as kind and inviting as his daughter. Even better, they hit it off. There was something there that felt so familiar. She wondered if he felt it too given the number of times she caught him glancing at her curiously. 

Dinner passed without a hitch, and with minimal inappropriate comments from Wynonna. After the dished had been cleared and the group found their way into the living room with glasses of eggnog (or eggless nog as Waverly called it seeing as she had used a special vegan recipe). 

Nicole happily watched the pseudo familial dynamic play out before her, noting the way the older Nedley and older Earp fought each other at every turn but still shared meaningful looks. Clearly, they both cared deeply for each other but refused to admit as much out loud. 

It wasn’t until they called it a night that she learned why it had become a tradition of theirs to spend the evening together. Since the matriarch of the Nedley family had passed away, and the Earps were without parents for the holidays, their aunt having moved away not long ago, Waverly had insisted on sharing Christmas dinners henceforth. No one had dared object and it appeared to Nicole, no one would actually have it any other way.

The Nedleys left while Nicole was upstairs gathering her belongings. When she returned downstairs, Dolls and Wynonna had made themselves scarce, something about an unspeakable gift Wynonna still needed to give the marshal.

Waverly and Nicole lingered far longer than reasonable by the door, neither really wanting their time together to end, but knowing they couldn’t prolong it any more.

“So, Nicole, when will I see you again? Hopefully we didn’t’ scare you off.” Waverly’s fingers were playing with the bottom of the redhead’s winter coat as she looked up into her eyes.

“No, I don’t think you have. It would take a lot more than a lovely holiday stay to scare me away.”

“Well, I guess I’ll just have to try harder next time.”

Nicole captured those fidgeting fingers in her palms, running smooth circles over the knuckles with the pads of her own fingers. “Next time.”

“Text when you get home? So, I know you didn’t get stuck in a ditch or something.” She nodded to acknowledge the request, still not letting go of the other woman’s hands.

“Goodnight Waverly Earp. Thank you for inviting me. I’m really, really glad that I came.”

Their eyes were still locked on and Nicole could sense something brewing below the surface. Every little piece of her was screaming that Waverly wanted her to kiss her. And every little piece of herself said she should. 

“Goodnight Nicole Haught. Thank you for making this Christmas extra special.”

But there was rogue piece that said don’t. She was brand new here, with no one to call a friend outside the group Waverly had brought her into. She wasn’t quite willing to risk all of that and the companionship of the brunette. Not yet at least. She needed to be sure. She needed to let Waverly come to her.

“I think we both know you are the special one here.” That didn’t mean she couldn’t flirt a little though.

Nicole leaned down and softly kissed the shorter woman’s cheek before walking out the door towards her car. After placing her stuff in the back seat, she turned to find a heavily bundled Waverly standing out in the cold on the front porch watching her. She waved and lingered just a beat before finally climbing into the driver’s seat and starting her car.

As promised, she texted when she got home. Waverly replied instantly. It would be silly to say she missed the other woman already, but she did.

Nicole: Hey, how do you feel about cats?

Waverly: Good…?

Nicole: Want to come with me day after tomorrow to get one from the shelter? I might even let you name it.

Waverly: Well… I have SO MUCH to do, and what with the new year coming, …

Nicole: Waverly?

Waverly: Yes. Of course I’ll come with you.

Nicole: Can’t wait.

Waverly: Neither can I.


	6. Nicole Loves Pussy (Cats)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might have noticed I updated the chapter count. The next chapter will be the last. I have half written already and plan on finishing shortly, definitely in time to have it up tomorrow on New Year's Eve. I wonder why I picked that day, hmmm. No spoilers. Anyways, enjoy!

“Hey you.” Nicole extended a travel mug out towards her new passenger.

Waverly sipped cautiously, wary of the little wisps of steam escaping the beverage. “Mmm, this is good.”

“Thanks! I know you love tea so I thought you might enjoy this little spiced mix I found the other day.” 

Waverly nodded as she continued to drink. Nicole looked over and watched a slightly sleepy Waverly cup the travel mug in both hands. She busied herself with pulling out of the homestead driveway and heading out towards the main road, giving the younger woman a few minutes of silence to come to wakefulness.

When Waverly looked a little less out of it she ventured into conversation again. “I hope this isn’t too early for you.”

“Huh? Oh, no.” Waverly turned to face her, eyes soft and receptive. “Sorry, it usually takes me a little bit to get used to people in the morning.

“I’ll have to remember that.” 

Nicole realized the implications of her reply just a hair too late to stop herself from verbalizing it. She shot a wary glance over at the brunette who was staring back at her with a look. The look said a lot and nothing. Nicole might have guessed it was flirtation, hinting at lust even, but she didn’t want to outright risk being wrong.

She turned her eyes back to the road, letting the tension fill the small space around them. God, it was getting really hard not to just act already. Sure, they barely knew each other, but she felt something substantial. 

“You know I could have met you in town. It’s closer after all.” Waverly finally faced her again, breaking through everything left unspoken by Nicole.

“True. But I’m not quite unpacked yet, so it’s still a bit of a mess.”

“Well you’ll have to let me see it sometime!”

Nicole smiled to herself. All the little hints here and there that Waverly was dropping, indicating she too anticipated more time spent together, it wasn’t helping to curtail the little tableau building up in her mind.

“Don’t worry. You will, promise.”

Waverly beamed back at her and before Nicole could think it through she blurted out, “Why don’t you come over for New Year’s Eve?”

It would be a push to get everything ready in time, but now that she had put it out there, she was really hoping Waverly said yes.

“I don’t really make a habit of going out on New Year’s Eve. Too many drunks on the road, too many expectations.”

Oh. It had only been a matter of seconds, but already she had gotten her hopes up.

“But, assuming we would just hang out at yours, I don’t see any reason to say no!”

“Really?” That whisper of hope was sneaking back in, but she didn’t want to push.

“Of course! Oh my god, I already have like a million ideas for snacks I could make! And of course, the drinks. You know I used to be a bartender? Oooh, it’s the perfect excuse to make these vegan tacos I found a recipe for the other day…”

Nicole reached out and stilled the woman beside her. “Waves, whoa. You know you can just show up, right? You don’t have to cater a whole party?”

“I know. Sorry. I guess I’m just excited.”

“No need to say sorry.” Their eyes met, both smiling widely at each other. “Besides, I’m excited too.”

The rest of the drive out to the humane society was much calmer, with only one more questionable instance of flirtation. When Nicole had pulled in to the parking lot, Waverly had been out the door and waiting impatiently by Nicole’s before she had even shifted into park. She knew she was excited to get a pet, but the brunette’s excitement was only serving to amp up her own.

She joined the other woman outside and was promptly taken by the hand and all but dragged into the building. It was just a hint childlike, and a hell of a lot endearing.

Once inside, Waverly had wondered off to look at all the furry little critters while Nicole sought out an employee to talk with. She was finding it near impossible to concentrate on everything the older woman was telling her, attention constantly drifting to her new friend off by the puppies. 

Waverly had sat down directly in front of what must have been the runt of a litter, a scared little thing if she had ever seen one. The pup was slowly creeping up towards Waverly’s extended fingers, eyes ricocheting between the floor and the woman in front of the cage. 

Nicole redirected her own line of sight and tried to remember what it was they had been talking about. She made it another two minutes before she caught herself trying to watch Waverly and the dog’s interaction out of the corner of her eye. She had gotten the dog to approach her and was now giving enthusiastic belly rubs to the happy pup.

Finding it impossible to ignore any longer, Nicole excused herself and walked over to sit next to Waverly.

“Looks like you found a friend.” She extended her own hand for the dog to sniff and was happy to see Waverly had already broken down its barriers as the dog wasted no time on letting Nicole provide pets.

“He’s so cute!” Waverly scrunched her body down even more until she was nearly eye level with the dog, already muttering lovingly at it.

After another five or so minutes of watching the pair, Nicole bumped shoulders lightly with Waverly, breaking her concentration. 

“You really like this little guy, huh? Maybe we should be looking for you?”

“Oh, sorry. Got kinda swept up in this cutie.” Nicole waved the apology off as she gave the dog one last pet before climbing back to her feet.

“Unfortunately, Wynonna has already laid down a no pet policy, given everything.” 

Waverly followed her up and instantly settled her arm through Nicole’s. She couldn’t resist giving an inquisitive glance after the very vague comment, but Waverly made no further mention of what she was referring to by ‘everything’, so Nicole didn’t press. 

“You never told me what kind of pet you were looking for.”

“Well, I love dogs, but I think it would be hard for me to get one now since I live alone.” Waverly now was the one giving a questioning look, but Nicole decided that at least one of them should be in the know and offered her clarification. “Once I start work, I won’t have a set schedule for a long time. I don’t want to get a dog until I know I have enough time to commit.”

Waverly nodded in understanding. “So, a cat then?”

“Yes ma’am.”

As they entered the cat section, Waverly bee lined for the first cat she saw, ready to spend another eternity making friends, but for the sake of both their time and the humane society’s, Nicole insisted they give each cat a chance at their heart before settling in to any one in particular.

She regretted it the moment she saw one in particular though. She had heard a few hisses from a couple cats down and had realized that it was only when men approached. When they approached the beast in question, they found nothing but hearty purrs and a gentle soul. Nicole couldn’t help but appreciate how fitting it would be for a lesbian to adopt a cat that didn’t care for the males of her species. 

As it turns out, Waverly couldn’t help but appreciate that Nicole shared a trait with the cat, well, besides the one where they both preferred women, they both were redheads.

Nicole was instantly taken and allowed Waverly to get some help so they could spend a bit of time with the cat in a playroom. Within the first few minutes Nicole knew she had found her knew companion. The feline loved her and she was smitten. It didn’t hurt that Waverly was all in as well. 

Waverly wandered amongst the animals as Nicole filled out paperwork and arranged dates for vet visits and pick-up. It would be a little while before she could take the cat home with her, but totally worth waiting for.

“So, any names picked out yet?” They were on the way back to the homestead, both buzzing after so much time around the cats and dogs.

“Umm, I’m not really sure. She already has a name. Would it be weird for me to change it?”

Waverly snorted from the passenger seat. “If you don’t change her name, you will never live it down. You know I’d try my best not to make fun, but come on, Wynonna? You really think my sister will ever stop harassing you?”

“Ugh, good point. Sorry Mrs. Butterbaby. New name it is.” She couldn’t stop herself from laughing either. It was a really silly name. “Your sister already texts me at all hours of the day with horrible name based puns. I really don’t want to see what she would come up with on that one.”

“Oh god!”

“What?” She looked over to see Waverly covering her barely constrained laughter with both hands. “Waverly, what? What is so funny?”

The other woman held up a finger to signal she needed a minute. When she finally got her laughter and breathing under control again, she let Nicole in on her realization.

“You realize you are a ginger…”

“Obviously.”

“And now your cat is a ginger.”

“Yeah.”

Waverly stared at her expectantly but she clearly was missing some connection.

“You adopted ginger cat. Wynonna is going to find out you adopted a ginger cat.” She still didn’t get it. Waverly’s eyes just kept getting bigger the longer it took her to figure it out. “Nicole, do you know how many times my sister has openly and very loudly wondered if the curtains match the carpet?”

“What?!” Well that was a veer off into left field. 

Waverly gave her one last hard look and when nothing came of it she huffed out, not in frustration, but something else. Could it be amusement?

“Woman, you have a ginger pussy. Cat.”

And there it was. “Aw, fuck!”

Three hours later a text popped up from Wynonna. She wanted to be surprised, but really, she wasn’t.

Wynonna: I hear my sister likes your red-hot pussy. Natural ginger too. Nice.

Nicole: For Christ’s sake Wynonna!


	7. New Beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's it folks. Thanks for taking this fun and festive journey with me. I hope you all enjoyed it half as much as I did. Good luck in the new year. Here's hoping it isn't total shit!

Nicole stood in front of her freshly hung mirror, nervously trying to get the last wrinkle out of her favorite blue button down shirt. Her house was clean, most of her unpacking had been done, save that one box of random shit she packed for some reason that still sat awkwardly under the small desk in the living room. She had googled about thirty different vegan recipes and settled on two appetizers and an entrée.

Waverly had insisted that she be allowed to bring something, to ‘contribute to the festivities’ as she phrased. She had really wanted to say no, hoping to impress the other woman on her surprising above average skills in the kitchen, but with three dishes and some last-minute housework, she acquiesced.

With one last look and quick fix of a stray hair, she called it close enough and went downstairs to wait for her guest. 

Between the headlights and the crunch of tires on snow, Nicole was blessed with a slight heads-up on Waverly’s arrival. There was a quick debate about coming to the door with a glass of wine in hand but after thinking through the logistics of wine glass, boots, and coat, she decided against it. 

There was knock. A small rush of panic. One gratuitous deep breath in and out, and then she answered her door.

Waverly looked amazing. Well, she always looked amazing, and smelled amazing, and was amazing. But tonight, she really looked, wow.

“Hey you.” She greeted her with a quick one armed hug, given the preoccupation of one of Waverly’s arms with the bag she brought, followed by an extended arm for her coat. “The roads okay?”

Waverly set the bag aside and busied herself with her ridiculously furry boots, that were all too adorable on her, leaving Nicole a moment to hang the coat and take a moment to calm herself. 

“Yeah, not too bad.” Now free of coat and boots, the shorter woman wandered deeper inside, openly appreciating the cozy room. “It smells wonderful in here by the way.”

“Yeah?” Nicole approached the other woman and pulled her into another hug. “I might have gotten a little bit carried away with food for the night. I don’t think we will be going hungry.”

They simultaneously released their grips on each other, both lingering in the shared space just a moment too long for just friends. 

“Speaking of food… I hope you like banana because I brought my famous, okay not entirely famous, banana muffins for dessert.”

“I can definitely be okay with that.”

Waverly bounced over to the bag and pulled the container of muffins out, handing them off to Nicole as she dug around a bit for something else.

“And… because muffins are really breakfast, I decided to sweeten them up with this oat milk caramel topping I whipped up.”

Nicole stood in awe, soaking in all that was Waverly, almost lost on the words she was speaking and definitely lost on her opening the jar of caramel and dipping her finger inside.

“Here, taste?” Nicole blinked out of her own head to see Waverly’s carameled index finger waiting for her to sample from.

Unsure how to act, she did the only thing that seemed to make sense and leaned forward, mouth parted slightly until the rich sweetness awakened her palate. The taste was heavenly, made by the gods themselves, and Nicole was consumed by it. 

Which might explain why she lost herself just enough to let her tongue roll Waverly’s finger, licking every perfect bit of caramel away.

She caught herself about the same moment she heard Waverly breath in, deep. Their eyes connected, and Nicole could have sworn there was a slight slip, the fainted uptick in the corner of the brunette’s mouth in a smile.

Her lips retreated, leaving Waverly’s finger caramel free and only a touch wet. Which was fine, totally fine. Explainable, forgivable really. Kinda weird but not totally beyond the realm of friends. Okay, maybe friends who have boundary issues, but friends, right?

And then Waverly did the one thing that made her internal excuses hike up their trousers and skip town. She slipped the same finger, the one still wet from Nicole’s mouth, into her own. Her jaw dropped. Like, actually, literally, not at all exaggerating, dropped.

“Mmm.” Waverly pulled her finger back out and surveyed it for a second before recapping the jar. “You missed a bit, couldn’t let it go to waste.”

How in the fuck was she supposed to survive this night?

As it turned out, the night had gone quite smoothly after the great Nicole’s mental and emotional wellbeing massacre. Not that she was exaggerating of course.

They had happily snacked on the appetizers Nicole had made, which had both thankfully been a success. Waverly wouldn’t stop raving about the spicy black bean dip she made, not that it could hold a candle to that caramel. No, that one was untouchable, for more reasons that she could handle admitting.

The wine didn’t hurt either. She had debated getting so much wine, but ever the over-prepared in work, personal life, and apparently, hosting, she had decided her original amount wasn’t a ridiculous amount. So of course, she added another bottle just to be sure. Despite their aggressive approach to drinking that evening, there still would be a zero percent chance they would run out. 

Their conversation flowed from Wynonna’s most recent antics, her harassment of Nicole notwithstanding, to the last-minute prep Nicole was doing before she started her new position as the Sheriff’s deputy in a few days. By the time dinner came out of the oven, Waverly had put a movie on for them to watch.

Everything seemed safe and friendly. Nicole felt herself relax into the evening further, finally forgetting about the earlier incident enough to fully enjoy her company. Her plate was on the coffee table already but when Waverly set hers down as well, she didn’t return to her spot on the far side of the couch.

No.

She scooted in, towards Nicole. Into her side and under her arm. And it felt. Perfect.

Thankfully (well, sorta), Waverly behaved herself. While she spent the rest of the movie wrapped up beside Nicole, there were no more sensual finger sucking, or bedroom eyes, or anything else that was bound to make things harder on her.

But then the movie ended, and Waverly stretched herself like a sunning housecat and got up, excusing herself to the bathroom Nicole just barely managed to point out without looking too much like a desperate puppy.

Recognizing her need for some space, she stepped out into the freezing night air, breathing deeply, letting the burn of the cold in her lungs clear her mind and her desire. Waverly was so much, and she was basking in it. It was getting hard to deny how she felt, to talk herself down, to keep the request for a kiss, or a date, or a night spent bare of all but their emotions, from escaping her lips. She wanted Waverly. But everything was so new. This town was new, her job would be new, her friends were new. She was just, new. And to jump into a relationship (okay, a little presumptuous) this quickly, was getting too far ahead.

And yet, there she was, wandering into her view through the window, looking around for her and coming up with nothing but making herself comfortable on the couch nonetheless. She fit there. In her home. Her new home, but still. It looked right. It felt right.

Figuring she had been missing long enough, she took one last sobering look out into the empty street and went back inside. 

“Get lost?”

“No. Just thought I saw a yeti wandering around and wanted to get a really good picture for Instagram.”

“Wait, you did?” Waverly was up off the couch and to the window in a flash. Nicole could almost think Waverly believed her joke.

“Of course not. Besides, I don’t even have an Instagram.”

Waverly turned back, blushing slightly and looking like there was something she wanted to say, but nothing came out in reply. 

Instead, she gave Nicole a playful roll of the eyes and left to get their desert from the kitchen. Nicole opted to watch from the sidelines and Waverly made fast work of finding plates and silverware and carrying the lot back over to the coffee table.

“Okay,” she took the plates and silverware off the top of the tin, setting it on the table. The muffin tin followed next, which Nicole opened. Waverly sat down again, uncapping the jar and setting it aside. She picked up a plate and knife and turned to Nicole. “I’ll make you the first one but after that you are on your own.”

“Well, by all means, as you were.” Nicole smirked over at her, watching as she spread the caramel sauce on the top of the muffin.

“Here, take a bite and tell me if it needs more.”

They were back into dangerous territory, Waverly again offering to hand feed her. At least this time it wouldn’t be as intimate as licking sauce off her finger.

And even if it had been, that bite was worth it. Enough so that Nicole couldn’t help but moan into the muffin. Waverly sure as shit knew how to bake.

“That, is perfection, Waves.”

They were three muffins in a piece when Waverly noted the time. They hadn’t started the evening early, yet Nicole was still surprised to see how late it had gotten, midnight nearly creeping up and past. Another three minutes and they would miss the turn of the year entirely.

“So, tell me Officer Haught,” Waverly set her plate on the table, “anything you wanted to do this year and haven’t yet? It’s your last chance.”

She took a moment to really think it through. “Honestly? I’ve had a good year. There was a lot that was bad, but I ended up where I wanted to be. So, I think in the end, it all came out right. How about you?”

“I’m not really one for regrets.”

Nicole felt overcome with something, not quite confidence, but something akin to it. Her hand found Waverly’s and their fingers intertwined. 

“But as you said… the year isn’t over yet.” She looked at the clock, 11:59. “You still have a minute.”

Waverly looked over at the clock too, silently watching, waiting. 

Midnight. 

Their eyes met again.

“Like I said, not really one for regrets.”

Nicole nodded. Her fingers were tingling. “What about resolutions?” 

“Not a big fan of those either.” Something was happening and she couldn’t place what it was. “But maybe I made an exception this year.”

“Oh?”

“Want to hear?”

Her heart was beating fast. She knew she was moving closer but it felt out of her control. “Yes.”

Waverly was moving closer too.

“I promised myself I wouldn’t let myself be scared of you.”

“I scare you?”

“You terrify me.”

Waverly terrified her too. She could feel it rushing through her veins, that fear, that apprehension, that tension. It was dangerous and she wanted more.

“I might know something about that.”

They were close. Really close. If Nicole were to wet her lips, she be doing the same for Waverly’s. 

“Maybe neither of us should be afraid then?”

“Maybe you’re right.”

There was a crack in the air, like lightning, striking them simultaneously and without warning. But Nicole didn’t notice, didn’t feel it. She was too busy kissing Waverly, falling into her with every ounce of bottled up suspense and passion and wanting. 

They slowed and finally released. There was quiet as their foreheads rested gently together, both panting for air and some sign this wasn’t a hallucination. Waverly was the first to break through.

“Holy shitballs.”

Nicole laughed. God, this woman, she could get used to this feeling. “I suppose I might have a resolution of my own.”

“Yeah?” Waverly pulled back just enough to catch her eye.

“I promised myself I’d ask this amazing woman out.”

“And…”

“I don’t know she hasn’t replied yet.”

“I don’t think you’ve asked her.”

Nicole sat straight up, smiling broadly. “Waverly?” The other woman nodded, sitting straight up too. “Will you go on a date with me?”

“I’d love to.”

Half an hour later Nicole pulled herself off of Waverly, readjusting her wrinkled shirt. She had stressed so hard over those wrinkles a few hours ago, but she’d gladly trade them in for the kisses she had been enjoying.

“So,” Waverly started, smoothing out her own clothing, “if we both already met our resolutions, what are we to do with the rest of our year?”

“Oh, I’m sure I can think of a few things.” Her grin was wicked, but so was Waverly’s. Looks like her shirt would just have to make room for a few more wrinkles.


End file.
